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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. spell — a short time
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. rule — a law
  5. spell — letters
  6. chest — of your body
  7. mate — to breed
  8. spell — magic
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. wake — a trail
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. mate — a partner
  13. chest — of your body
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. rule — government
  16. degree — an amount
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — for light
  21. mate — a friend
  22. degree — temperature
  23. degree — from a university
  24. chest — a box

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com